Congress backs Khurshid's remarks on judiciary

Law minister Salman Khurshid's remarks that the judiciary needs to understand the "political economy" in the country was backed by the Congress today which insisted that the entire entrepreneurial class "cannot be painted with a black brush".

Law minister Salman Khurshid's remarks that the judiciary needs to understand the "political economy" in the country was backed by the Congress on Monday which insisted that the entire entrepreneurial class "cannot be painted with a black brush".

"You see the statement in the holistic perspective and the context it has been made. Indian economy has benefited in the last 20 years. If there are any aberrations, people responsible must be brought to book.

"But to paint the entire entrepreneurial class with a black brush ....label them as alleged scamsters runs the risk of being disincentive to investment and flow of capital elsewhere", party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters.

He was replying to questions whether it was appropriate for the Minister to make such remarks at a time when the judiciary is seized with cases concerning corruption, black money and the 2G spectrum scam. His remarks came at a time when government is facing the judiciary's flak on account of various scams.

He also disagreed with suggestions that the minister's remarks went against the Supreme Court observations that there was need to cross the Lakshman Rekha to kill Ravana. In the 2G Case, the apex court had remarked last month "if Sita hadn't crossed the Lakshman Rekha, Ravan wouldn't have been killed".

Noting that the law minister did not hold any brief for the aberrations, he said, "There should be no interference...and we should take a balanced view and should not brand......of being scamsters".

In an interview, Khurshid had said, "The judiciary can’t be immune to the demands of society in changing times. The judiciary has been making positive interventions in the field of environment, fight against corruption, protection of human rights and social welfare, but it also has to understand the political economy."